Farm-gate.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

G. R. CLARKE. FARM GATE.

APPLIOATION FILED N0\T.15, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET It.

HO MODEL.

2 INVENTOR 7 ATTORNEY N9. 747,140. 7 PATENTED DEC. 15, 1993.

G. R. CLARKE.

FARM GATE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 15, 1902. H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES 2 WWW I v a I ATTHEKE .the road without dismounting.

NiTE

GEORGE R. CLARKE,

Patented December 15, 1903.

OE MONTEL, TEXAS.

FARM GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,140, dated December15, 1903. Application filed November 15, 1902. Serial No. 131,517. (Nomodel.)

tel, Uvalde county, Texas, have invented cer tain new and usefulImprovements in Farm- Gates,of which the followingis aspecification.This invention relates to the class of gates commonly used on farms andranches through which roads pass and which may be opened and closed byany one riding or driving on Ordinarily such gates are adapted to beopened and closed through an operating-lever and suitable wires orconnectors, the gate being by these means unlatched and thrown off itsbalance, so as to swing either to open or close bygravity. An example ofthis form of gate is shown in my Patent No. 687,198, dated April 8,1902. In my present gate, however, the gate is counterweighted, so as toshift the center of gravity to the hinging-point, and suspended at thispoint by a plurality of flexible 0r flexibly-hung suspenders, andthrough the medium of an operating-arm or lever these suspenders aretwisted about the hinging-axis of the gate, so as to first lift the gateand incidentally unlatch it and then cause it to swing open by thetorsional effect due to twisting the flexible suspenders. The weight ofthe gate tends to untwist the suspenders, and thus swing the gate, whichdescends as it swings.

In the accompanying drawings,whicl1 serve to'illustrate theinvention,Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gate, and Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame. These views show the parts quiescent. Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryhorizontal section showing the position when the chains are partlytwisted through the operating means for unlatching and swinging thegate. Fig. 4 is a general plan view of the gate and roadway on a smallerscale. Fig. 5 is a view showing non-flexible but flexibly-connectedsuspenders for the gate.

1 designates the gate as-awhole, and 2 the counterweight thereof.

3 designates the hinging-posts, and 4: the shut latching-post.Connecting the posts 3 are the upper bearing-piece 5 and the lowerbearing-piece 6, in which is rotatively mounted an upright operating andhinging shaft 7. This shaft has fixed on it and forming apart of it across-piece 8, from the ends of which two flexible connectors orsuspenders 9 extend down and are secured below to the gate. Thesesuspenders are herein shown as chains, and they support or carry thegate, which is balanced by the counterweight 2, so that the point ofsuspension is at the center of gravity.

.A suitable catch 10 is provided, Fig. 2, at the latch-post4 to beengaged by a latch 11, Fig. 2, on the free end of the gate,substantially as in my former patent or of any suitable form orconstruction.

In order to operate the gate, which'turns or swings about the shaft 7,the latter extending through apertures in the upper and lower rails ofthe gate, the said shaft is turned in a manner to twist the twosuspenders about the shaft. This has the effect to shorten them and liftthe gate until the latch is free of the catch or lifted above the catch.The torsional strain will then swing the gate through a quarter-turn,the gate descending as it swings by the straightening, or untwisting ofthe suspenders. When its free end reaches the other latching-post, alatch 11 thereon engages a catch on said post.

Referring now to Fig. 4, R designates a roadway, and F a fence-linecrossing the same at the point where the gate is situated. In this view4: is the latching-post for the closed gate, and 4 is the latching-postfor the gate when open. On the upper end of the shaft 7 is secured anoperating-bar l2, and from the ends of this bar wires 13 or the likeextend in opposite directions, respectively, to operating-levers 14,mounted to turn on suitable posts 15, set at the side of the roadway R.These operating devices, whereby the shaft is turned, are the same orsubstantially the same as those shown in my previous patent and neednot, therefore, be described more fully herein. The present invention isnot limited to these specific operating means, and any others may beemployed as well.

The suspenders 9 need not be and usually will not be actually broughtinto contact with each other or with the shaft 7 in the production ofthe torsional lifting effect on the gate, and by the words twist ortwisting as herein employed is not meant the bringing of the suspendersin contact and winding each about the other or about the shaft formingthe hinging-axis. Two or more suspenders may be employed, and they neednot be flexible provided they are flexibly connected at their ends tothe gate and bar or cross-piece 8, re-

spectively.

Fig. 5 shows rigidsuspenders 9, connected by links with the part 8 andthe bottom rail of the gate. This figure also shows the slotlike orelongated aperture 1 in the upper rail of the gate where the shaft 7passes through. When the gate is opened by the turning of the shaft 7,the first effect is to slightly tilt the gate and elevate its latchingend, and the elongation of the aperture y permits this.

As will be seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the two hinging-posts 3 3, betweenwhich the gate is hung, are not set abreast and alined with the roadway,but both are set out of and at the side of the roadway and one nearerthe road than the other, so that a vertical plane passing through theaxes of the posts would be oblique to both the roadway and the gateway.This construction provides the proper room for the gate to swing inopening and closing. One of the posts 3 is set close to the terminalpost of the fence F at that side of the road, so that the gate makes acomplete closure, and the construction avoids all obstruction to theroadway by the counterbalance 2 and the hinging-posts, as these arewholly out of the roadway. f

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A farm-gate, incombination with means for operating same, said means comprising anupright, rotatable hinging-shaft about which the gate swings, aplurality of suspenders through which the gate is suspended from saidshaft, and means for rotating said shaft and thereby operating said gatethrough the medium of said suspenders.

penders connected at their lower ends to the gate and at their upperends to said shaft, said suspenders being uniformly disposed about saidshaft, and means on the upper end of said shaft for rotating the same.

3 The combination with a gate, provided with latches to disengage bylifting and with a counterweight, of the latching-posts pro vided withcatches, the hinging-posts and upper and lower bearing-pieces, the shaft7 rotatively mountedin said bearing-pieces and provided with across-piece 8, the suspenders 9, attached at their upperends to saidcrosspieceand at their lower ends to the gate, and the operating-bar 12,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the two posts 3, 3, set at the side of theroadway and one nearer thereto than the other, the bearing-pieces onsaid posts, the upright between said posts and mounted, in saidbearing-pieces, and the cross-piece 8 secured to said upright betweenthe bearing-pieces, of the gate mounted to turn about said upright andprovided with a counterweight, the suspenders connected at their upperends to said cross-piece and at their lower ends to the lower part ofthe gate, and the latching-post at the opposite side of the roadway fromthe posts 3.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 8th day ofNovember, 1902, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE R. CLARKE.

Witnesses:

T. W. ELLISON, EDWARD O. STEVENS, Jr.

